I've spent 20 years in media and marketing, both on the corporate side and in agencies large and small. In 2009, I left Fleishman-Hillard to found Elasticity, focusing on helping companies progressively manage reputation and market brands by creatively "triangulating" integrated communications strategies between public relations, social media channels, and search engine optimization. Connect further with me @AaronPerlut.

There are two common reporting structures of marketing communications in organizations:

Either all marketing communications functions reports up to the Chief Marketing Officer such as advertising (brand), public relations, social media, internal communications, etc.;

Or, the brand and digital are in one bucket under the CMO and the PR and internal comms roll up under an SVP of external affairs.

The latter is more common and often gets in the way of effective multi-channel marketing integration, which today can be the difference between a mediocre and great campaign.

Indeed, taking a consistent message that is creative enough to break through today’s information overload, and then distributing it across multiple channels is far much more likely to gain what one of my partners refers to as ”kinetic potential.” And kinetic potential is what turns average campaigns into award-winners, taking them to greater heights, driving deeper brand engagement and consumer affinity, and ultimately sales.

For example, I was watching TV a few months ago and saw a new commercial from a global brand featuring a discussion about mustaches. It was amusing but not hilarious. The ad made the rounds over a few months throughout national television and didn’t generate much buzz whatsoever.

But could the brand have done more with it? Could it have been given that kinetic potential?

Without question, and here’s how.

Before hitting the airwaves, the brand could have issued a news release saying it was preparing a new ad focusing on the “Mustached American lifestyle.” As a result, it wished to ensure the ad was sensitive to the Mustached American community and was having the tongue-and-cheek American Mustache Institute (AMI) review the ad for accuracy and sensitivity purposes.

The AMI would then release a statement on its blog reviewing the ad – either being offended by it or approving the content therein.

If AMI approved, the brand would place a pop-up in the ad saying “AMI Certified” or “Mustached American Approved.”

If not approved, the brand could place a disclaimer in the ad saying that it was not approved by the Institute.

As ridiculous as all of this sounds — focus on the structure and not the creative elements — taking this approach would have created a curious buzz amongst media and consumers and boosted word-of-mouth in both social and traditional media about the ad before it even hit the airwaves. At the same time, the buzz would have provided content for the brand’s social media channels.

Instead, the brand fell prey to its corporate structure, producing a mildly amusing ad developed on the brand side in lockstep with its advertising agency, with little strategic overlay or insights from the corporate communications team and its public relations firm.

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